Notes / Commercial Description:
Art is the wine barrel fermented and aged version of Arthur (1922-2005), our grandfather's youngest brother as well as the name of our rustic farmstead ale. In honor of Arthur, we mindfully blend his namesake beer from French oak wine barrels that have been aged and conditioned for between 1 and 3 years. This is the standard that reflects, redefines and guides the progressive vision for Hill Farmstead.

B3, hoppypocket, can't thank you enough. Tons of barrel on the nose. Tons of wine barrel, good mineral notes, decent sour. Different and not quite what I was expecting (not in a bad way) would drink again ;-)

Nose is yeast, band-aid, lemon rind, coriander, flower petals and a slight tartness. Aromatic with big funk notes. Clean, crisp and very refreshing with the exact flavors I expect from the style.

Opens slightly tart citrus and lemon peel. Coriander and other spices in the back along with some floral notes. Touch of yeastiness at the middle with band-aid and cobweb. Spicy finish with a yeasty and sharply funky aftertaste. Refreshing and very complex. Really enjoyable.

Light bodied with ample carbonation. Light, fluffy and clean in the mouth and goes down refreshing. Accented finish with a mellow aftertaste. Really solid.

Hill Farmstead's Saison's are almost on the same level as their pale ales... that is, world class. Art is no different. A super solid beer all the way around. Definitely recommended.

wow--- what a funky nose---apple meets barnyard funkiness... however, the flavor is a little more restrained and not quite up to the nose... a seriously delicious BA saison, but I have to agree with another reviewer, its no le sarrasin!... next up is Ann so ill have to see how it matches up.... life is rough!

On tap at the Blind Tiger Ale House during the Hill Farmstead event. This is the barrel-aged version of 'Arthur' the breweries traditional farmhouse saison. This was an amazing beer, that matches herbal hop notes with a subtle undercurrent of Brett. The oak characters really blends well with the wild yeast and fruity hop spiciness. I could drink this all day. outstanding!

S - wow! this is one of the best-smelling beers I've ever had. There's a light tartness, some oak, some winey notes. Everything is very complimentary and great smelling! This would be a realistic wish for an air freshener.

T - the Nose was a tough act to follow, but here we've got what I have in my notes as "sweetoakwineontopsaison." I think that means it is sweet, with notes of wine and oak all on top of a traditional saison taste - light malts, some citrus and vanilla notes.

M - thin and dry. Shoot.

O - Everything about this beer is pretty incredible, except for the mouthfeel. Oh well.

Art came out looking like a saison, golden straw colored in appearance with a bright white head up above leaving nice patterns. Smell is a semi-big Belgian yeast profile with earthy grass ridden hops. Some citrus and spice. A nice fruity appeal and brett funk out the whazoo. They work together well, nothing too overpowering the other. This Saison from the farm is a good one. Art starts with the earth, the grass, the yeast (bread), semi tropical fruits, ripe apple is noted with pear slices. A peppery spice as well. A fairly simple saison from the base(Arthur) the brett brings this up a level with an even drier finish. The barrel gives off oak yet no vanilla which would of killed it, maybe it's french oak, I don't know. Feel is kinda lower than medium ah what the hell, feel is light bodied and refreshing, with a small carb bite as well, a yeasty aftertaste with some bitter hops at the end. I could probably drink more of this stuff. Another good one from the boys at the farm. This one has a bit of everything that I enjoy about beer and for that Shaun, I thank you.

S~ citrus up front followed by pepper, bready yeast, and slight pineapple (almost like Juicy)

T~ **NOW! DO NOT DRINK THIS TOO COLD! definitely better as it warms! up front tart lemon with a tad of vinegar followed by peppery citrus saison yeast just like Arthur.

M~ very carbonated, smooth, kind of like champagne. also pretty dry.

O~ not exactly what i was expecting but still very delicious! HF saisons have to my favorite brew of all time, i probably say this a lot. Art is definitely not my favorite but still amazing. just remember to let it warm up before you drink it and you'll be good!

perfect for this time or year... not a day more not a day less. any of the inconsistent american qualities in a saison are eliminated in the additional conditioning in the wine barrels. this sort of gives it that subtle gin dryness and juniper note that is really some quite rare. but its like a delicate ghost on my palate. consistent nose though.

pour is golden cloudy with a cotton candy sticky head. rocky formation on the edge of the glass. nose of wine tannins and brett. hints of floral that are both juniper flowers and hop hints. palate is bright to say the least. and floral mineral that are like juniper hints at first that seems to fade. lemongrass bitter with a white grape tannins dryness. great for duck. lotus root salad. and i would even say perfect for ethiopian food.

Bottle. Poured a hazy yellow color. Aroma was bright, rustic, funky, and tart with some wet woody/cork. Flavor was still much like regular Arthur but a bit more intensified and with a wine and wood addition. I haven't had Arthur in a while but it stills seems rather closely tied to Art; not an absurd transformation. I love the farmy/rustic quality that Hill Farmstead's farmhouse beers finish with. Really delightful.

Chilled bottle into a glass. No idea which batch it is, but I've had it for the better part of a year.

A: Bottle is a gusher. Pours a cloudy, burnt sunset orange. I generally appreciate clarity in beers, but for this shade, the milkiness works wonders and captures the light stunningly. A finger of off-white head caps the beer, maintaining good retention and depositing lace.

S: Lemon, hay, grass; there is a light mineral character on some sips (brett?). A small white pepper note is evident, too. I believe this was aged in wine barrels; I don't detect any wine on the nose, but there is a soft oak-vanilla aroma on the back end.

T: What might be brett on the nose is definitely brett on the taste; it is fairly restrained, contributing only a light hay / barnyard presence and giving the beer a dry, minerally close. Grass, lemon, and spicy hops and/or phenols round out the rest of the beer. I couldn't detect any wine on the nose, but there is a light chardonnay sweetness before the finish.

T - Taste is a bit of a letdown, although it's still quite good. More buttery oak and pale stone fruit malt character. Some vinous notes in the finish. There's a faint oxidation/mineral note that I found a little odd, so I'm not sure this is something that needs to be aged any further, although that might help in cutting some of the oak.

T - Initally tart lemon and slight vinegar come through. As the beer goes, the beer starts to get funky with grass, farmhouse funk and a slight blue cheese. The finish is slightly tart with a lingering oak.

MF - Medium carbonation with a creamy smooth body. Slightly astringent in the finish and a tingle remains on the tongue.

O - Solid, sour and funky Saison that reminds me of a more tart version of Orval. My first HF Saison and can understand why people get excited over them.

Pours a hazy golden yellow with some straw tones. A thick, billowy head rests on top of the brew, leaving patchy lacing all along the glass.

Plenty of oak barrel and funk in the nose, some slight earthyness with spice and some sweeter fruit tones. A nice blend of what I expect in a saison with added barrel character.

Spice and funk with some yeasty notes. Softer fruit sweetness coupled with soft tartness and brett-like tones. Definite barrel presence along with a milder malt backbone. Finishes dry and a bit tart with some lingering sweetness.

Medium bodied, nicely carbonated, tingly and invigorating on the palate. I tried Arthur alongside this and was pretty impressed with both, although I really enjoyed what the barrel brought to the beer.

S - Wonderful brett funk, nice dose of oak and red wine, which all work together so well. Just an excellent-smelling beer...I'd keep my nose in it for a while if I didn't have to drink it (darn).

T - Nice funk, huge oak, touch of bitterness. Perhaps a little too much oak for me here, and the wine notes don't come through as much as they do on the nose. The funk is soft yet still adds a nice level of complexity.

M - Light, smooth and refreshing, good carbonation for the style.

O - The only thing I'm not excited about with this beer is the oak on the palate. It's just too "in your face" for me to say it's outstanding. I think it's a wonderful Saison and HF continues to make a wide variety of remarkable beers. Recommend.

A- Started foaming right when cap was taken off. Pours a hazy yellowish golden with about 3 fingers of white frothy head. Lots of carbonation, well above average. Leaves foamy lacing. Pours a little bit faster and has a little bit more of a yellowish color then E.

S- Lemons, green apples, yeast, a very tiny bit of hay, grass, barnyard funk, and hints of oak. About average aroma strength.

T- Green apple, a little bit of citrus- lemon+orange, some hay + grass, finishes with a little bit of a light lemony sour taste mixed with a bit of red wine that has a lingering aftertaste.

M- Thin, refreshing, decent carbonation, well balanced.

O- This was a pretty decent saison that I thought was definitely better then E.. I liked the balance between the lemon sourness, green apple, and light barnyard funk that was all balanced off with nice carbonation. Definitely not my favorite beer from HF, but a nice offering.

Pours a filtered, hazed golden straw color with a dense, frothy white head that initially fills the glass. Abundant lacing coats the glass and the head has nice retention supported by a consistent stream of bubbles.

Aroma is very dry, vinous and yeasty. Some residual sweetness with oak/vanilla, ripe grapes, and banana but earth and red wine dominate. Not much presence of spice or funk.

Smooth, medium-thick body. Soft, fine carbonation with a dry, oaky finish. Docking the mouthfeel a little for the finish which is very tannic and oaky.

Similar experience as Sean preceding me. Not as much wine as the aroma, more vanilla and woodsy oak. More brett funk comes through suppressing the fruity and yeasty sweetness of the aroma.

Another well made, good but not great saison from HF. I enjoy this more than the base Art I had a few months ago, but the wine barrel (particularly oak flavors) are a little too strong. Reminiscent of McKenzie's Saison Vautour and honestly a little more consistent in composition. However Vautour is still the standard I look for in this style of wine barrel/wild saisons.